City of Lenoir City Manager Scott Hildebran presented his 2020-2021 proposed budget to City Council Tuesday night, May 19, 2020. There is no increase in taxes or fees in the proposed budget.
The proposed budget and presentation are available online at www.cityoflenoir.com/budgetproposal. City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget during the June 2, 2020, regular meeting. After the public hearing, Council will vote on the budget.
Under the proposal, the city property tax will remain at $0.58 cents per $100 in valuation and the Rescue Readiness Tax will stay at $0.0085 cents. The general fund, which includes all City services except for water and sewer, is budgeted to be $17.8 million dollars. More than three fourths of the general fund is spent on Police, Fire, and Public Works services.
Proposed FY 2020-2021 General Fund
The table and pie chart below show the breakdown of the general fund by department in the proposed FY 2020-2021 budget.
| GENERAL FUND BUDGET | Amount | Percentage |
| Legislative | $362,697 | 2% |
| Administrative | $576,008 | 3% |
| Finance | $666,377 | 4% |
| Planning | $427,180 | 2% |
| Police | $5,789,333 | 32% |
| Fire | $4,151,654 | 23% |
| Recreation | $1,809,879 | 10% |
| Public Works | $4,047,388 | 23% |
| Total General Fund | $17,830,516 | 100% |
The budget addresses the priorities City Council set during its retreat in February this year. Council’s 2020 priorities were 1. Employee Compensation, 2. Housing, 3. Community Beautification, 4. Healthy Infrastructure, 5. Economic Development, and 6. Public Engagement.
Related: Council reviews progress, looks to the future, March 3, 2020
To address those priorities, the 2020-21-2021 proposed budget includes a 3% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for City employees effective Jan. 1, 2021. The COLA will be reevaluated later this year to determine if it is feasible based on the impact economic impact of the COVID-19 lock down. The proposed budget increases funding for paving, code enforcement, and greenways and trails. It also includes money for new Police cars, quick response vehicles for the Fire Department, building repairs for various City facilities, improvements to the City’s water and sewer systems, and a new, multipurpose tractor that can mow, trim, and sweep the greenway.
Visit www.cityoflenoir.com/budgetproposal to read and view City Manager Hildebran’s full budget message and budget presentation.